Opelousas Mayor Indicted For Overtime Payroll Scandal

A grand jury in St. Landry Parish has indicted Opelousas Mayor Reggie Tatum on 15 charges stemming from an overtime payroll scandal that followed the August 2016 flood.

Our news partners at KATC reported he is facing the following charges:

One count malfeasance in office

Four counts injury of public records, for creating false time sheets for Marvin Richard, Tyrone Glover, Sherryl Roberts and Julius Alsandor

Four counts filing false public records, for filing the false time sheets into the city's records.

Theft of more than $10,000 but less than $25,000

Five counts of forgery, also related to the false time sheets

Tatum filed for overtime after he appointed himself manager of a disaster shelter at the Opelousas Civic Center set up for displaced residents.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor's office discovered Tatum was paid for 234 hours of overtime for running the shelter. The audit found he was paid more than $12,000 in overtime pay. He received that pay in addition to his regular salary of $76,875, which violated a city provision stating his salary--overtime included--must be voted on by the City Council.